The Bond
by kaela-16
Summary: A romantic and suspenseful story from two points of view.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

It has been about a year since I had last seen him. His beautiful golden eyes haunt me in my dreams and I swear I see them everywhere I look. Why do I miss him? I hate him. It's his damned fault for everything that had happened to me. He may not of personally done the things to me, but everything that happened came back to him. It was _his _father who had ordered him to kidnap me and take me to their nation. _His _father was the one who had me fight against my former best friend. It was _his_ cousin who caused the horrible damage that I dare not speak about.

I walk aimlessly around the village, breathing in the cold air. There is absolutely nothing to do around here. I already had my chores done and I didn't have to help cook dinner today. I'm so used to being busy that when I'm not busy, I'm absolutely lost. I don't have any friends, in this village at least. I can only count one person as my friend, Toph, but she lives in the Earth Nation. I used to have another friend, but they abandoned me to pursue girls and I will never forgive them for that. Of course, I could hang out with my brother, but I'm not in speaking terms with him.

I hear a shout in the distance and realize that my dad is calling me home. I run home, almost slipping three times, then go inside. I stop dead in my tracks. Zhao.

"What are you doing here? You do realize that you aren't welcome here." I give him the death glare. I have to control myself just to not freeze his butt to the chair.

"I'm here to deliver a message," Zhao said, "a very important message." He gives me that scowl that seems to be frozen on his horrid face.

"Katara," my dad said, handing me a scroll. I open the scroll and read it. My eyes widen in fear. This is what it read:

I, Fire lord Ozai invite you to come to the Fire Nation to attend a meeting regarding the marriage of Prince Zuko and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. It is insisted that you leave immediately after receiving this message to properly arrive at the meeting in time.

Sincerely, Fire lord Ozai

"What?" This has to be a mistake, it has to be," I said trying to hold back my tears.

"As much as I hate to say it," Zhao said, shaking his head, "this letter is not a mistake."

I can feel the tears running down my cheeks. They are very warm compared to the cold heart of Ozai. In mere hours, I'm on a ship to the Fire Nation, along with my father, to attend a meeting about my marriage to Zuko. I have a flashback to were my nightmare had begun.

Chapter I- Abandonment

I feel the tears slowly sliding down my cheeks. It is very humid out and I don't know where we are. We landed on this island about ten minutes ago. I thought we were taking a break from flying, but now I know why we really stopped.

"I'm really sorry Katara. I feel really bad, but it's too dangerous for you to travel with us any further."

"So you're just going to leave me here, on this island?" I asked. I can feel the anger building up inside me. "If I really can't come with you, why didn't you drop me off somewhere that has human inhabitants?"

"I guess we never thought of that," Sokka said. Typical, he wouldn't think the plan through.

"It's just too dangerous for you to come," Aang said, "you could be killed."

"I don't care! You're my friend, you would never do something like this to me!" Aang and my brother couldn't hear the last of what I said, because they were already out of my sight, somewhere in the sky.

All I can do is cry. I'm alone, I don't know where I am, and I don't know if there are any humans around. I lay down on the ground because there is nothing I can do for it is now dark. I shut my eyes and eventually fall asleep.

…...

I jump up instantly, using my senses to figure out what startled me. "Who's there?" I asked, even though it could have been an animal.

I walk around me, but can't see anything since it is still night. I feel movement behind me, so I turn around, ready to attack…blackness. I hear the sound of whistling air, then a hit on the head. I fall to the ground, unable to get up, but why? Is something holding me down? Yes.

I can feel hot breath on my face. I breathe in and smell cinnamon. "Let me go!" I struggle to get free, but whoever this person, or thing is, has a strong hold on me. The person laughs and puts more force on me, then…I remember nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II- Nightmare

I run through the forest, trying to get away from this person. It feels like I've been running for hours even though I've only been running for a few minutes. I fall to the ground, tripping over something, maybe a root. I feel hot breath on my neck and smell cinnamon. Suddenly there is warmth all around me, maybe too warm. It becomes warmer and warmer while I squint my eyes even though it is dark out. I feel so uncomfortable, I can't take the heat…

I open my eyes to see a streak of sun in my line of sight. I'm not in the woods anymore. I'm in a room, a very fancy room. It is decorated in colors of red. I pull the sheets off of me, because it is very humid in the room. Wait, where am I? I can't remember what happened to me, just force against my body and the smell of cinnamon.

I walk over to the door, then pause. Should I open it? There could be danger outside these walls. I decide to take the chance and open the door. Nothing, except a hallway decorated in sheets of red. Wait, those aren't sheets, they're flags, flags of the Fire Nation. I'm in the Fire Nation, my mind screamed. I look down each direction the hallway goes, no one, then I step out. I turn right and start walking. I've got to find a way out. I walk for about a minute then stop at a door. This door is different than the other doors that I had seen in the hallway. It's a double door, so I figure that it could be a way out.

I open the door, then walk out into the most magnificent garden that I had ever seen. There were flowers everywhere. The garden appeared to be surrounded by walls, but I walk through the garden, figuring that there should be a door somewhere.

"Where do you think you're going?" a too familiar voice said. I feel shivers down my back. I slowly turn around and face the man that I most truly hate.

Zuko. I glare at him and feel heat rising to my face. "How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" Zuko asked, slowly walking towards me with a scowl on his face.

"Well, I obviously don't since I just asked," I said sarcastically.

"Well…let's see," Zuko pondered, "I found you all by yourself on an island and decided to kidnap you."

"That was you? Why would you kidnap me?"

"Because Ozai ordered me to," Zuko said, the scowl disappearing from his face.

"Why does Ozai want me? What use am I to him?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Zuko yelled. He turns and walks away from me, clearly in one of his 'pissed off' moods.

I run up behind Zuko quietly, not wanting to be detected. I bend some water, then I attack Zuko. I force the water to surround Zuko's head, so he can't breathe, then I let the water drop.

"Where _is _Ozai?" I asked Zuko, who is lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. He glares at me.

"I'll take you," he growled, then gets up and starts walking towards a door that I didn't see before.

We walk through the door and walk down a hallway that seems never-ending. We finally stop at a set of double doors, much larger than the other ones. Zuko opens the door and I follow him into a room with a throne at the end of it. And of course, in that throne was Fire Lord Ozai.

"Awww, I see that you have succeeded at my request," Ozai said to Zuko as we get closer.

"Of course I have father," Zuko said, bowing down to his father as we stop in front of the throne.

Ozai gets up and walks towards us. "Katara, Katara," Ozai said, "I knew it wouldn't be too hard for Zuko to find you."

"Why am I here?" I asked, glaring at Ozai.

"Hmmm… let's see," Ozai pondered, "well, you're here because you are going to protect me and my family during the eclipse."

"Don't you have guards to protect you?" I asked.

"No, not this time," Ozai said, "you're not just going to protect us, you're going to protect us from the Avatar."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III- Evil Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

I stare at Ozai, my jaw dropping practically to the ground. "The Avatar?" I asked quietly, "I'm going to protect you from the Avatar?"

"Yes, that's what I just said," Ozai said, clearly annoyed with me.

"Why in the world would you think that _I _can protect _you_ from the Avatar?" I asked, "Do you not realize that he can bend all four elements and I can obviously only bend one?"

"Well yes, we obviously know that the Avatar is the only one that can bend all four elements," Zuko said sarcastically, with a smirk on his face.

"If you don't wipe that grin off your face," I said, "I will personally have to do it myself."

"Like you could harm _me _in any way," Zuko said, then chuckles to himself.

Oh how I wish I had some water right now, for I would make him pay for that remark. Wait, there _is _water all around me, in blood. I slowly move my hands and start bending Zuko's blood. He falls down to the floor, withering like a dying animal and making choking noises.

"Stop!" Ozai yelled, shooting a fire ball at me, throwing me to the floor and leaving a nice burn across the left side of my face. I lay down on the floor, not being able to feel the left side of my face. Zuko gets up and leans down over me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"If you ever do anything like that to me again, then I will personally be the one who ends your life," Zuko spat in my face. He walks back to the doors that we walked in, opens the door, then pauses. "And father, don't ever try to help me again." Zuko walks into the hallway, then slams the door shut.

Ozai sighed. "Well, that was interesting." Ozai walks over to me, then offers me a hand. I ponder this gesture for a moment, then I just get up myself.

"Thanks for the burn," I said sarcastically, feeling my cheek. It felt hot and wet, probably blood. Ozai walks over to his throne, then picks up a dish that is sitting on the floor next to it. He walks back over and offers me the dish.

"You can heal your wound with this." I look in the dish and see water in it. I bend the water, then press it against my face. In mere seconds, I feel my wound heal.

"Thanks. Wait, you just wounded me, then you offer me water to heal it?"

"Yes, do you have a problem with that? I was just stopping you from harming my son, it's not like I intentionally wanted to harm you."

"Why would you want to protect your son? You banished him from this nation," I said, "I thought you hated him."

"True, I did banish him from this country," Ozai said, then paused. "But, I didn't actually banish him."

"How could you not have banished him when you did?" I asked, confused.

"I can't actually tell you," Ozai said, "I did banish him, but I was a mere puppet."

"Are you telling me that you're being controlled by someone?" I asked, thinking that this is the most stupid conversation I've ever had.

"Yes," Ozai said, looking around the room, like there was someone spying on us. "My cousin," Ozai whispered.

"This is ridiculous," I laugh, "I don't believe any of this bullshit. _You're_ the one who said you were going to stop this war, but you didn't. You made it worse, this is the reason why the Avatar is coming after_ you_.

"Do you really think that I made the was worse than it was before?" Ozai asked.

"So now you're trying to make me believe that your _cousin_ made it worse?" I asked, annoyed, "Do you think I'm stupid? You're just trying to make yourself look like the good guy."

Suddenly the doors opened behind me, which caused me to jump. I turn around to see who had come in, but I don't recognize them.

"Awww, cousin Ozai," the man said, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with…Katara."

Ozai's cousin looked a lot like Ozai, but he looked sinister. He had a gleam in his eyes, like he thought he was powerful. When he walks by me, he glances at me, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ozai said, averting his eyes like he was guilty of a horrible crime.

"I hope that you aren't telling Katara something that you shouldn't be talking about," The man glanced at me, then back to Ozai.

"Uhh…of course not," Ozai said, "you know that I am loyal to you."

"Well, I hope so," the man said, then glances at me again, "or something horrible might happen to someone you care deeply about." He looks back over at Ozai. "I'll see you later this week cousin, for I have some _business_ to take care of."

"I understand Xang," Ozai said, with a look on his face that looks like he's scared shitless.

"Good." Xang turns around and walks back out of the doors into the hallway.

"You should probably go back to your room," Ozai said.

"What did he mean by _business_?" I asked.

"Go back to your room!" Ozai yelled. His face was turning a shade of scarlet.

I turn around and swiftly walk towards the doors, afraid of what might happen if I don't get out of there quickly. I close the doors to the room and start walking down the hallway. I have no clue where my room is, so I just walk, hoping to find someone that can help me. I turn a corner then stop in my tracks. Zuko is standing towards the wall, pressing his head against it.

"Ummm…could you help me find my room?"

"Why do you need help finding your room?" Zuko asked, looking over at me. "Shouldn't you be trying to escape?"

"Well…no. I think that if I would try to escape, your father might kill me."

"He's not my father!" Zuko yelled, "All he's done is harm and insult me, he's no father of mine!" Zuko walks toward me, grabs my wrists, and pushes me against a wall. "Is that clear?"

I look down, not wanting to look into his eyes. "Yes," I said quietly.

"Good!" Zuko said angrily, letting me go. "I'll show you where your room is.

I follow Zuko down millions of hallways, then finally, we stop at a door.

"There's you room," Zuko said, "your welcome." He starts walking down the hallway further, then turns a corner. Zuko definitely had a problem with his temper.

I open the door and step into the room that I woke up in earlier. I walk over to the window and open the curtains to let some light in. The sun is high in the sky, so I assume that it is mid-afternoon. I can tell by looking out that I am probably on the second or third floor of the palace. I yawn and look over at the bed. I feel like I had barely slept the night before, so I walk over to the bed and lay down. I lay there, thinking about what all has happened to me. My friend and brother abandoned me on a deserted island, which made it easier for Zuko to kidnap me. I learned that I'm expected to protect the royal family from Aang, which seems impossible and that Ozai might be controlled by his cousin. I highly doubt that. Ozai is trying to make himself look better, right? Maybe not. What if he really was being controlled by his cousin? It could be possible, Ozai seemed really threatened by Xang. Who am I kidding? Why would I even think for a second that Ozai was _good_? I lay there, my mind racing, then I finally feel myself drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV- Alone in the Night

I wake up to darkness. There is a stingy smell in the air around me, like sweat. I must have been sleeping for a long time. Something feels different, though. I feel like I'm not in the same room I was in before. It's cooler now, and the bed doesn't seem as soft. I try to get up, but I can't. Why? I use my right hand to feel around, but I can't move it very far. I feel cold metal around my wrists. What the hell?

…...

_Zuko_

I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling. I have been laying here for about six or seven hours. It's dark outside. I've spent the entire afternoon brooding over what had happened in the throne room earlier. I'm disgusted with my father. He has no right to defend me after all he has done to me. My stomach growls, so I figure that I should probably get something to eat. I get up, walk over to my door, then walk down the hallway. I turn a corner, then continue to walk down the hallway, but I pause. I look over at the door to Katara's room. Something isn't right. Wait, why do I care? She's just a stupid peasant, but I'm curious.

I turn towards the door, then knock. Why did I knock? That is the most stupid thing that I could do! No noise, no movement. Is she in there? I slowly turn the doorknob and open the door slowly. I create some fire on the palm of my left hand, just enough to see. I walk in, but no one is there. Did she leave to eat? No, she doesn't even know where the kitchen is. I look around the room, then notice that the window is open. She escaped! How dare she? I look down and see that there is a rope hanging down to the ground. I climb out of the window and down the rope. When I reach the bottom, I see that there are footprints left in the mud, but they seem to be too big for Katara's feet. I follow the footprints, which lead to the wall that surrounds the palace.

Another rope. I climb up this rope, which continues down the other side of the wall, which I also use to climb down. How could of she, or someone else, escaped without any guards noticing? Well, I guess I just got out undetected, so it's possible. I don't see any footprints, but I walk out further and see some footprints. They're about the same size as the other footprints, so I follow them. I start to run, so that I might have a chance of catching up to whoever it was. The footprints lead to a forest, then they disappear. Shit. I look around and notice some broken branches, so I follow that path. Whoever it was must have been larger, because I walked through there easily. I stop when I see something blue on the ground. I bend down and pick it up. It is a necklace with blue beads. Where have I seen this before? Katara has a necklace just like this. I continue walking and I start to see a light ahead. Hopefully, it's the way to Katara.

…...

_Katara_

I try to free myself from the chains, but it's no use. I can barely move my arms and legs, let alone scratch my itchy nose. The smell in this room is becoming unbearable. I feel like I can barely breathe. I hear something. Maybe a door opening? I see a small light. It appears to be a man holding a flame, a fire bender I assume. They slowly walk over to me, chuckling. When they get close enough for me to see their face, I gasp.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V- Hell

I can't believe my eyes. Is the person standing in front of me really who I think it is? Xang. He chuckles again, which sounds more like a sinister laugh. I guess he may be the evil one after all. Unless Xang and Ozai are both evil.

"I knew my cousin told you about me," Xang said.

"What did he tell me?" I asked, pretending like I don't know what he is talking about.

"You know all about how Ozai is my little puppet and how I make all the decisions."

"He didn't tell me anything about that." I look into his eyes and see the reflection of the flame in them.

"Liar!" Xang yelled. He grabs something, but I can't tell what it is. He makes the flame on his hand grow larger, then lights the thing on fire. A whip? Why would he be lighting a whip on fire?

"You're not going to lie to me!" Xang yelled, moving closer to me, hanging on to the whip.

"What makes you think that you can get the truth out of me?" I asked, knowing he won't get me to spill.

"We'll see…" Xang said. He moves his hand toward my shirt, then lifts it up to reveal my stomach.

I gasp. "What are you doing?" I asked, fearing what he will say.

"We'll just see how much you can take," Xang said chuckling, then moves the whip backwards.

A blood curdling scream. I don't know who's screaming, but then I realize that it is myself. Pain is shooting through my stomach and I feel nauseated. Tears are spilling out of my eyes and dripping off my chin. Xang moves the whip backwards again, it cracks against my stomach again. More screaming.

"Please stop," I said, merely in a whisper. I feel like I can't breathe.

Xang whips me again and again. Finally, he stops. I look up at him through blurry eyes and see that he is sweating. He reaches down to my top and pulls it up further. Luckily, I am wearing a bra, but to my disbelief, he pulls my bra up revealing me.

"No," I said, "please don't." More tears are running down my face as I brace myself for what is to come.

Xang moves the whip back, it seems like it is moving in slow motion. Finally, it cracks against me. I don't scream, for I can't. The pain is just too much. Luckily, the whip hit me along my collar bone, instead of lower. Xang moves the whip, ready to hit be again, but he stops. He looks back towards the door, then extinguishes the fire on the whip. He walks toward the door, opens it, and walks through it. I breathe a sigh of relief, but I feel as though I may vomit. I can't control the tears coming out of my eyes and I feel something wet on my stomach, probably blood. I hear someone struggling outside, but I can't see. I hear something, almost like a bolt of electricity, then nothing. I hear footsteps, but I didn't get to see who it was, because I blacked out.

…...

_Zuko_

I walk towards the light, then come to an opening in the forest. There is what seems to be a hut. There is a torch near the door that is aflame. I walk towards, wondering if Katara, or someone else might be there. I feel a pit in my stomach. Anything could be in there. I decide to take the chance, for I don't want to be a coward. I stop at the door when I hear a scream. The scream sounds like it's coming from a girl. I open the door and step inside. I can make out someone saying something, maybe a plea for help, then I hear a crack of what I think is a whip. I don't hear a scream this time. I move towards the direction I heard the sound come from, not worrying about being able to see. I hear someone walk, so I freeze. I hear a door open, then someone walking towards me. I can start to make out a silhouette, so I decide to attack.

I shoot a bolt of lightning at them and they fall to the floor, unconscious. I use a flame on my hand to see, then look down at the person to see that it is my dad's first cousin, my second cousin Xang. Why is he here? I see an open door and I hear someone quietly crying. I walk towards the door, then the crying stops. I can't hear anything. I walk into the room and see that there is someone laying on a bed. I get closer and I notice that it is Katara.

I do a double take. She is lying there, her shirt pulled all the way up, revealing her. I would stare at her longer, but I notice that there are cuts all over her stomach and close to her collarbone. There is also blood on her stomach, coming from a wound that is deeper than the others. I pull down her shirt, then notice that she is chained to the bed. I look around, then find a key hanging on the wall. I grab the key and unlock all of the handcuffs. I move my head close to her mouth to hear if she's breathing. I feel breath against my ear and the sound of her breathing. I pick her up gently, then walk out of the house. I'm carrying her like a baby, figuring that it would be the most comfortable for her and easier for me to carry.

I run as fast as I can through the forest, dodging branches so I don't injure her anymore than she is already injured. I'm out of the forest and now near the walls surrounding the palace. Surprisingly, she is lighter than I thought she would be. I reach the gates, and the guards notice me, so they open the gates. I run through and I reach the door. Another guard opens the door, not questioning me.

I'm now inside the castle. I run to the doctor's office that we have in the palace. I go to his room, but he isn't there. I swear to myself, then go upstairs to see if I can find help. As I reach the top of the stairs I see my uncle Iroh walking down the hall.

"Uncle!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. He stops and turns to look at me, his eyes widening.

"What happened?" Iroh asked, his eyes widening.

"Xang, he did something to her, I think he may have whipped her. Some of the wounds are deep, so they need to be sewn up."

"I'm afraid that Doctor Kung is not here tonight, for he is ill," Iroh said, shaking his head, "you're going to have to do it yourself."

"Why can't you do it?"

"I don't have very good eyesight anymore and my fingers are not nimble like yours," Iroh said

"Fine," I said, "Could you get me some supplies then?"

"Sure," Iroh said, "I assume that you will be in Katara's room?"

"Yes," I said. I walk towards Katara's room. I open the door and walk in the dark, trying to find the bed. I find it, so I lay her down their. I light some candles, then I set them on the bedside table. I took off her shirt, and tried not to stare at her. I examined her wounds and saw that a lot of them needed to be sewn shut.

Iroh opened the door, carrying supplies. I got up and grabbed them from him. "Thank you uncle," I said, then walk over to Katara as Iroh left the room, closing the door behind him.

I first clean the wounds and I notice something weird about them, they aren't just whip marks, but they are also burns. Impossible. I carry on cleaning her wounds, then I got some medical thread out and a needle. I put heat up to the needle making sure that it is clean, it's always better to be safe. I let it cool down, then I start to sew her wounds up.

After about half an hour, I'm finished sewing up the wounds. I disinfect them again, then pull her shirt down. I look down at Katara's almost motionless body. I never noticed how beautiful she was. Her face looked like it was carved from stone and for some reason I couldn't stop looking at her face. Her hair lay beautifully on the pillow in smooth, gently waves.

Stop it Zuko. Why are you thinking this? She's just a peasant, but even worse, she's from the Southern Water Tribe.

But I can't help myself. My eyes keep going back to her face, no matter how many times my mind tells me not to.

I move over to the bed and sit down on the edge of it. I look towards Katara, then my hand moves to her face. I gently brush her left cheek. I didn't notice it before, but there should have been a burn there from Ozai. I look at her right cheek, but there is nothing there either. I am befuddled over this. How could of the burn disappeared? My hand moves over to Katara's hair. I move my hand along her hair. Her hair is smooth as silk.

I can't do this. What would my father think of this? Why do I care though? I don't care what Ozai thinks. He's done nothing but harm me. But still, I can't do this. I want to love her, but I hate her at the same time. We hate each other.

My mind is racing with all sorts of questions. When I finally clear my mind, I realize that I am lying next to Katara, running my hand through her hair. I lean toward Katara's face and gently kiss her on the lips. One little kiss won't hurt, she will never find out about it. I move my head back to the pillow, I close my eyes, and I fall into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI- Awakening

I open my eyes, looking at the ceiling of a too familiar room. I look over and see Katara lying there, next to me. I can't remember what happened last night, but I have a feeling that I don't want to remember. I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes. I stand up and grab my shirt off of the floor. When did I take my shirt off? I put on my shirt and stretch. I go over to the side of the bed where Katara is lying. Will she wake up?

"Katara?" I asked, "are you awake?" She's motionless, she looks like a sculpture lying on the bed. I touch her shoulder and I shake her gently. Her eyes start to twitch. "Katara?"

"Huh?" She opens her eyes and looks over at me. "How did I get here?" she asked.

"I…sort of…I guess I sort of _saved _you," I said averting my eyes.

"Save me?" Katara asked, "From…Xang?"

"Yeah…you _do_ remember what happened right?" I asked, "Because I'm not exactly sure what happened to you last night."

"Yeah, I remember," Katara said, "Xang must have kidnapped me when I was asleep."

"Those whip marks, they're weird, they look they're also burns."

"Yeah, he had whips and…he…set them on fire," Katara paused, "Wait, how do you know what my cuts look like?"

"Well…when I found you, your shirt was off, but I put it back on for you," I explained, "and then when I brought you back to the palace, the doctor wasn't in, so I had to sew some of the cuts shut." Katara didn't say anything, she wouldn't even make eye contact with me. She then sat up on the bed, the moved to the edge, her legs hanging off.

"I have a question," I said, "I was wondering what had happened to the burn that Ozai gave you."

"Oh, well…I healed it," Katara said, "with water."

"You…healed it?" I asked, confused, "is healing something that all water benders can do?"

"No, not all water benders can heal…. why did you rescue me?" Katara asked, out of the blue.

For some reason, that question caught me off-guard. Why did I rescue her? I didn't care if she had ran away last night, but I went to find her anyway. I could feel myself getting angrier.

"Because I didn't want a stupid peasant escaping!" I yelled, "If I would have let you go, my father…I mean Ozai, would have blamed me for everything!"

Katara just sat there, staring at the floor. I could see a tear drop from her chin to the floor.

"Sorry," I said, "I forgot that you didn't escape…you were kidnapped."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you started yelling at me," Katara said in an angered voice. "This is why no one likes you," she said, looking into my eyes, "you're impossible to get along with."

I should be furious about that remark, but I'm not. Katara _is_ right, I'm impossible to get along with. I could blame my father for the way that I behave, but that would be childish.

"You're right," I said, "I am impossible to get along with." Katara didn't say anything. She just looked down at the floor. I walk over to the bed, then sit down next to her.

"What happened to Xang?" Katara asked, still looking at the floor.

"I'm not sure, I left him there. He could be dead…or alive." I hope he's dead, I thought. Or I will find him and kill him for what he did to Katara.

"What if he comes back for me?" I look over at Katara, realizing that she is shaking.

"I'll make sure that the guards are on the lookout. I don't know how Xang got away with you without the guards noticing."

We sat there for a while. I didn't know what else to say. I just can't imagine how Katara feels, considering everything that has happened to her.

"Does your father know about what happened?" Katara asked.

That word. I warned her about calling Ozai my father. "What did you just say?" I asked, trying my best not to lose my temper.

"I asked you if your father knows about what happened last night," Katara said. She looks over at me, finally realizing that she called Ozai my father. "Sorry. I forgot about not calling Ozai that."

Something inside me snapped. I stand up quickly, turning to Katara. I pull her up into a standing position. "I warned you!" I yelled. I push her to the floor. Her body slams against the hardwood floor. She lays there, not getting up. What did I just do? Once again, I let my anger take control of me.

I move to the ground and turn her over, so she is lying on her back. "I'm sorry," I said, a tear escaping my eye.

She opens her eyes and looks at me. "Get away from me," she whispered.

She may have whispered those words, but they still hurt. I stand up and walk away from her. I stop at the door, then look back at her. I debate on going back to her and checking to see if I hurt her, but I figure that she would just get angry. I open the door and walk out into the hallway.


End file.
